Wille (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is every New York City pedestrian and taxi driver’s biggest nightmare…A bicycle delivery boy with a “Premium Rush” in his knapsack. Of course like a kidney transplant, we raise a brow to just how important can the documents in his backpack be – divorce decree? Real estate transaction? Taxes? I mean, is it really worth his measly $80 a day “on a good day” to risk the lives of crashing into everyday people trying to cross the street?
And so that sets the tone for what immediately tells the audience we feel no sympathy when Wille is given an envelope that must be delivered – and in order to cement a deal – between Nima (Jamie Chung) and some Asian mobsters. Her storyline adds no sympathy to a [spoiler alert] situation we face in present day America involving illegal immigrants.
Then there’s the annoying and corrupt NYPD police officer (Michael Shannan) who has more power than any badge could ever deliver because he’s actually able to cruise the city minus any traffic lights or congestion – able to keep up with a
boy on a bike. That is a miracle!
A reckless and disrespectful film that leaves you polluted, which is surprising since it’s written and directed by David Koepp, a usually brilliant filmmaker who has written the biggest films in Hollywood from Jurassic Park to Spiderman and even directed Secret Window in between. Joseph Gordon-Levitt can ride a bike like its nobody’s business. But maybe he has a bigger idea here. Maybe this is the Fast and Furious for the “I Can’t Drive yet” scene and those teen
boys are the set up for a yet-to-come video game.
In the meantime, our bike boy knows how to ride one, and thank god he was wearing a helmet. For that he gets one tiara